How did translators in the past translate languages they had no knowledge about whatsoever?
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They would have to learn the language first before being able to interpret. Usually communication started with body language and gesturing. Slowly one would be able to pick up small words and then over time would learn the language. As more contact occurred between two people the ones that had been there the earliest knew the language better and would become interpreters
They would have to learn the language first before being able to interpret. Usually communication started with body language and gesturing. Slowly one would be able to pick up small words and then over time would learn the language. As more contact occurred between two people the ones that had been there the earliest knew the language better and would become interpreters
Nothing whatsoever? Not even anything they could go research or ask others about? Then they didn’t translate it and it’s meaning was a mystery. The rosetta stone was a fantastic discovery because it yielded insight into Egyptian hieroglyphs and we could sudden kinda sorta read it.
These days, language has certain patterns and we can deduce some meaning from the patterns alone. But we need a lot of text to analyze. For example, sentences starting with “how” usually end in a “?” and even if you didn’t know English you can start to figure out that’s a question. Computers helps this angle of attack a lot.
They didn’t, nobody can translate from one language into another without first learning both.
Some caveats to this exist, where some languages are derivative of each other and similar words exist in separate languages that still mean the same thing then perhaps communication on a more general level may be possible.
But generally speaking pointing and expression are almost universal and traders were always the first multilingual people in any culture because understanding your buyers needs makes selling stuff to them easier! Capitalism wins every time.
Nothing whatsoever? Not even anything they could go research or ask others about? Then they didn’t translate it and it’s meaning was a mystery. The rosetta stone was a fantastic discovery because it yielded insight into Egyptian hieroglyphs and we could sudden kinda sorta read it.
These days, language has certain patterns and we can deduce some meaning from the patterns alone. But we need a lot of text to analyze. For example, sentences starting with “how” usually end in a “?” and even if you didn’t know English you can start to figure out that’s a question. Computers helps this angle of attack a lot.
They didn’t, nobody can translate from one language into another without first learning both.
Some caveats to this exist, where some languages are derivative of each other and similar words exist in separate languages that still mean the same thing then perhaps communication on a more general level may be possible.
But generally speaking pointing and expression are almost universal and traders were always the first multilingual people in any culture because understanding your buyers needs makes selling stuff to them easier! Capitalism wins every time.
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